MangiaMore: PUMPKIN cake with cream cheese frosting

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Jack-o-lanterns feel like decades away, fangs faded to gummy smiles. Festive gourds on stoops are withering with fall warmth and snaps of cold.  Mallow crème pumpkins are drying out, toothy with time. Pumpkin pie is buried in our bellies after Thanksgiving feasts, but the spices and stringy middles remain. Pumpkin has left its mark on this season with a damn delicious pumpkin recipe.

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Once a whole pumpkin, its innards and seeds were transformed into a scrumptious fall treat (well, two, but one was less successful than the other). We used boiled and mashed pumpkin from our first attempted dessert—a pumpkin pie— to create a modified version of damn delicious’s pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Instead of cupcakes, we doubled the recipe to make a sheet cake. And it was truly delicious.

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Other modifications were made to the easy-to-make recipe. We did not have pumpkin pie spice (as I have said before, it costs far more than I prefer to spend), so we whipped up a small batch of our own, minus the nutmeg (which we legit did not have).  Instead of using the full amount of oil for a doubled recipe, we used unsweetened applesauce to lighten the load.

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In the end, the cake sang fall. The intense exterior and almost savory middles of the squash forfeited stiffness and vegetal notes, and melted and surrendered to the sweet spices of cinnamon and allspice and all that makes fall. On top, the cinnamon cream cheese frosting was subtle with the tang of the cheese and kept the moisture in. Because there was only layer and one thick strip of frosting, the cake was not too sweet and laden with butter and powdered sugar.  Each slice was fluffy and light, airy and warm. So delicious.

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11.25.16

RER 11.25.16

BEST of both worlds: Sugar Couture Opens in East Williamsburg

RER 12.15.14

It’s perhaps the most pleasant sugar high ever, devoid of the jagged ups and downs, shaking hands and elevated heart rate. A visit to East Williamsburg’s new boutique café, Sugar Couture, brings just the right amount of sweet and savory to the daily grind, from breakfast options to afternoon snacks.  

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Café founder and owner, Penny Stankiewicz, is no stranger to the sweeter side of food. Formerly a documentary director, Stankiewicz went to school to explore the creative outlet of food, pastry and cake decorating. Since then she has established a reputation as cake decorator to the stars with her Sugar Couture special occasion cakes.

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Creating a delicious concept where the sweet is mixed with the savory was a natural next step for Stankiewicz. "I was feeling strongly like it was time for a new challenge, “ says the café owner. “And it had always been a dream of mine to have a retail shop, so when all of the pieces began to fall together, I took the leap!”

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 Dessert favorites come alive in an elevated way in the expert hands of Stankiewicz. Sizeable flakes of sea salt make sweet things sweeter and more dynamic, from studded pecan raisin brownies to seductive caramel candies. Meaty pistachios, crunchy and sticky, are savory jewels paired with delicate pear in tasty tarts and earthy pumpkin and the hum of dulcet mature fig combine to create perfect cheesecake. And luxurious chocolate roasted sandwich cookies blend the unexpected.

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Select savories like seasonal soups, salads, warm pressed sandwiches, and hearty vegetable dishes, add yet another layer to Sugar Couture. These rich melodies with eggy accents, flaky pastry, and doughy breads do not forget the sweet roots of the owner. Sultry bacon jam croissants and decadent creamy baked eggs in puff pastry, both crusty, salty, and textured—perfect breakfasts. Even bready focaccia selections have inherent sweetness from the pretty base to caramelized onion, tangy tomato, tender short rib or butternut squash.

Mustn’t forget about the cakes, the sweet treat Stankiewicz is known for. Daily specials like spicy lemon ginger cake layered thick with smooth tropical passion fruit butter cream, or fall flavored slices laced with caramel, browned butter and apple are a staple at the new café.

Along with the handcrafted bites, Sugar Couture offers Toby’s Estate Coffee, specialty drinks and drink infusions to round out the delectable experience. The intimate space complete with fresh details allows for delightful indulgence and a harmony of flavors.

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WHERE:

Sugar Couture

386 Graham Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11211

Ph. 718.349.1440

www.sugar-couture.com

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12.22.14